


I Am Defiant

by Inu_Sama



Series: BLEACH [3]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, M/M, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 05:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17359964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inu_Sama/pseuds/Inu_Sama
Summary: "Oh my god that's gotta be embarrassing! Did you plan for him to attack me? Was he supposed to put me on my ass so that you could act all cool and be like 'Stand Ichigo! How do you expect to defeat your enemies if you cannot even defeat yourself!'"





	I Am Defiant

Ichigo opened his eyes to see nothing but blue; blue sky, blue buildings, blue….everything. It was….depressing. Was this really his Inner World? 

"It is." A deep voice answered and he whirled to see an older man with a flowing deep red cloak and long curly brown hair, his features hidden by thick shades and stubble on a strong jaw. It clicked almost immediately who this was and Ichigo relaxed out of the fighting stance he'd subconsciously settled into.

"What do you mean? Are you saying that this is my inner world? Or are you agreeing that it looks depressing with so much blue?" he asked, feeling a small flicker of amusement when his zanpakuto's lips just thinned into an unimpressed line. 

He grinned and the skies seemed to brighten with it, making him look up in wonder. It was kind of fascinating how easily he could influence the weather with something like a smile…..wait, did that mean he could change how it looked too?

Suddenly they were in a dessert, the stars twinkling brightly above them as the moon dyed the sand a pleasing silver. The skyscrapers were still there but they rose up from the sand like black fingers at random intervals instead of being the only surface to stand on. He nodded, pleased with himself now that his Inner World looked a lot cooler. 

Zangetsu just sighed, but he could see the beginnings of a smile so Ichigo knew he hadn't totally lost him.

"Impressive,  _ King!  _ This looks  _ way  _ cooler!" A voice mocked from behind him, unknowingly mirroring his thoughts (albeit with a lot less sincerity) and Ichigo instinctively twisted to the side, just barely missing the blade that sliced through the air mere  _ inches  _ from his face. 

Without a thought (thanks to decades of experience of being randomly attacked because of his hair colour), Ichigo's hand shot out to grip a familiar neck and slam the body into the sand with enough force to shake his Inner World. 

The sword that looked  _ a lot  _ like Zangetsu embedded itself in the ground next to the creature's head, shredding a few strands of white hair. He met startled yellow eyes and raised his eyebrows at the  _ very  _ familiar face that greeted him.

"And what are  _ you  _ supposed to be? My evil twin or something?" he half-joked with a grin, clasping the thing's forearm and pulling it to its feet. There was a stunned silence before Zangetsu cleared his throat, looking like he was embarrassed. Ichigo cocked his head to the side as he watched his zanpakuto shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Then it clicked and he let out a bark of laughter.

"Oh!" He gasped between guffaws, clutching his stomach as tears sprang to his eyes. The stars brightened to almost supernova levels with his mirth, making the dessert look more like its usual daytime counterpart. Both the stranger and Zangetsu watched him with similar levels of shock, his zanpakuto looking more like he wanted to sink into the floor the longer he laughed.

"Oh my god that's gotta be embarrassing! Did you plan for him to attack me? Was he supposed to put me on my ass so that you could act all cool and be like _ 'Stand Ichigo! How do you expect to defeat your enemies if you cannot even defeat yourself!' _ " Ichigo finished his scarily accurate impression of Zangetsu and broke out into laughter all over again at the chagrined expression on his zanpakuto's face and the defensive way he crossed his arms. 

The creature next to him just still seemed to be stuck on the fact that Ichigo had thoroughly put him on his ass so easily, burning gaze never leaving his face and mouth open slightly.

"Man, I haven't laughed like that in a while, thanks for that." Ichigo sighed happily, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. He turned to the creature that was more than likely the Hollow part of his powers and smiled, sticking out his hand in greeting.

"Hi, we haven't formally met yet, but I'm your host Ichigo." His smile turned into a smirk when the Hollow seemed to snap out of whatever existential crisis he'd fallen into and snarled at him in feral disgust and anger, slapping his hand away. 

He didn't let it phase him though and instead picked up the sword, automatically sheathing it on his back like he'd taken to doing since his powers first awoke all those months ago when he met Rukia. It seemed like, now with its second transformation, Ichigo was destined to always have a ridiculously large sword. At least it gave it some character, he supposed.

"I heard somewhere that hollows don't start out with names so would you like me to give you one?" Ichigo continued without missing a beat, studying the Hollow's body language for any hostility. 

He doubted if the Hollow were to attack, that he would make it so easy to beat him a second time. But, despite all the growling and grumbling, there was nothing. In fact, the being's stance was somewhat deferential. 

"Fuck off, you'll probably say somethin' lame like 'Shiro' or some stupid shit like that!" The Hollow spat, crossing his arms with a snarl twisting his-- _ their _ features. He was really like an inverted image of Ichigo, which kind of made sense but not really?

_ 'Haah….such a tsundere~' _ Ichigo thought with a grin that turned sharp as his amused gaze raked over the Hollow, putting a fist under his chin like he was thinking deeply about something--though the effect was ruined by the large shit-eating grin on his face.

"Hmm, Shiro  _ does  _ sound super cute though…." He trailed off, laughing as he dodged the fist aimed for his face. He hopped to the side, Zangetsu staring at the Hollow with disapproval all over his expression before it changed to amusement when brown met shade. Wow, for someone whose face was mostly covered up, Zangetsu was  _ expressive _ . Ichigo turned back to the Hollow just in time to redirect an oncoming fist.

"Come on, Shiro _ -chan _ , don't be such a sourpuss!" he cooed, easily dodging the angry kicks and fists as his Hollow chased him around his mindscape. After a few more failed attacks, Shiro let out a frustrated roar and charged him. They went tumbling down a steep dune, wrestling all the way until they rolled to a stop with the Hollow sitting triumphantly on his stomach. 

Zangetsu followed them at a sedate pace, looking very much like a tired parent who would like nothing more than for someone  _ else  _ to take his kids. The thought made him snort, causing the Hollow to glare down at him.

"What's so funny, hah?! I'll kill you and all your shitty pathetic friends!" he shouted, readying a fist to slam into Ichigo's unprotected face. Ichigo grabbed hold of the Hollow's waist and flipped them, pinning his wrists above his head as Shiro growled and snapped at his face like a feral animal. 

He shifted his hands so that he could take the Hollow's chin in an iron grip, the stars above them dimming as the moon bled a violent red that reflected in Ichigo's eyes and made them glow. Ichigo leant forward until their faces were centimeters apart, lips brushing the shell of a pale ear.

"You try  _ anything  _ like that and I can  _ guarantee  _ you won't like the consequences." He warned with steel in his voice, raising his head slightly to look down at the Hollow, surprised to see a mix of fear and lust in those yellow orbs. Both he strangely….understood, maybe they were more similar than he first thought.

"Understood…. _ King _ ." Shiro breathed, cheeks flushed an interesting shade of blue/grey as his pupils dilated like a cat's. Zangetsu groaned in exasperation next to them and Ichigo felt the dangerous haze dissipate from his mind, the bloody colour draining from the moon above as the stars returned to their natural twinkling selves. Ichigo felt his lips twitch when the groan his zanpakuto let out just  _ kept going  _ and he sat up to send him an incredulous grin.

"Isn't this what you wanted, Zangetsu? For me to accept  _ all  _ parts of myself so I can get stronger?" he asked with raised eyebrows and a smirk on his lips when his zanpakuto just shot him a glare and stormed off in a huff. Ichigo laughed and shook his head, watching him disappear behind one of the skyscrapers before looking down at Shiro curiously.

"So? You got anything that'll work on this Kenpachi guy I'm fighting?" He asked, noticing how subdued the beast was with him sitting on him. He was reminded of that old adage about how just because a tiger is in a cage doesn't mean it's tamed and the thought made him frown. He remembered learning it in class and how everyone laughed at him for wanting to be friends with the tiger instead of caging it in the first place. 

Now, Ichigo couldn't exactly 'free' Shiro without sacrificing not just his own life but the lives of everyone around him. Still, he could try his best to get along with him, it would be the least he could do.

Truth be told he was quite comfortable himself, the steady rise and fall of every breath under him a familiar lullaby from those days when--

Ichigo rolled sideways and onto his feet, mentally shaking the thoughts of his mother away. It wasn't often that he thought of her, but it always put him in a bad mood and he didn't need that right now. He held out a hand to help his Hollow up and was immensely pleased when Shiro took it, looking a little less like he wanted to(in several different ways) eat Ichigo.

"I can think of a few moves, but I'll need Swordgetsu." Shiro said, holding out a deathly pale hand as he looked pointedly from Ichigo to the sword on his back. Ichigo cracked a grin at the name and unsheathed 'Swordgetsu'.

"Alright, but I'm trusting you here Shiro _ -chan _ ." he couldn't help but tease, despite the underlying seriousness of the rest of his words. The Hollow grabbed the sword by the hilt, grip switching to the cloth dangling from the end and began swinging it rapidly.

"Don't you know, King? You should  _ never  _ trust a Hollow." Shiro warned with a bloodthirsty grin that Ichigo felt compelled to mirror. They both settled into similar fighting stances as they faced each other.

And then the Hollow threw the massive sword like it was nothing more than a dagger.


End file.
